Duck Breast With Clementines And Tuscan Kale Recipes

PAN ROASTED MUSCOVY DUCK BREAST WITH A CLEMENTINE - TOMATILLO SAUCE SERVED WITH WILD RICE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a medium oven-proof saute pan over high heat until almost smoking. Season the duck with salt and pepper to taste. Place the breast skin-side down in the pan and cook until golden brown and drain the rendered fat. Turn the breast over, place in the oven and continue cooking to medium doneness, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Serve the duck with the Clementine and Tomatillo Sauce and the Wild Rice Risotto.
• Place 1 cup of the sugar and the rice wine vinegar in a medium saucepan over medium high heat and cook until the sugar has melted and the mixture reduces becomes a light caramel color.
• Raise the heat to high and add the orange and tangerine juice and the black peppercorns and cook until reduced to 2 cups. In a small saucepan add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup water and cook until the sugar has melted and mixture is slightly thick. Add the clementines to the sugar-water mixture and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatillos and toss to coat. Stir in the reduced chicken stock and heat through.
• Add in the sugar-rice wine vinegar mixture.
• Whisk the ancho chile powder and horseradish into the sauce until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add the arborio rice and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Begin adding the stock. During the last 2 minutes of cooking add the cooked wild rice. Finish with the thyme butter and Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• *Fresh thyme butter. Combine 2 sticks of slightly softened butter and 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt to taste.

GLAZED DUCK WITH CLEMENTINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Braise ducks:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Working from large cavity end, separate duck skin (including fat) from breast meat as much as possible by working your fingers between skin and meat, being careful not to tear skin, then prick skin all over ducks with a fork. Put ducks, breast sides up, side by side in a large flameproof roasting pan and rub each duck inside and out with kosher salt. Divide onions and celery between duck cavities and sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar around ducks. Pour enough boiling-hot water over ducks (to help tighten skin) to reach about halfway up ducks (don't fill roasting pan more than 1 inch from rim). Cover pan tightly with heavy-duty foil, then carefully transfer to oven and braise ducks 1 hour.
• Remove pan from oven and remove foil (do not discard), then carefully turn ducks over (breast sides down) using one large wooden spoon to turn and another inside cavity. Cover with foil, then carefully return to oven and braise until meat is very tender but not falling off the bone, about 1 hour more.
• Chill ducks:
• Remove pan from oven and discard foil. Transfer ducks with wooden spoons to 2 large plates, draining any juices inside ducks back into pan, then transfer cooking liquid to a large bowl. Return ducks to roasting pan, breast sides up, and cool ducks and cooking liquid (separately), uncovered, then chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours (to firm up duck before roasting and to solidify fat on cooking liquid).
• Prepare glaze and start sauce:
• Discard all fat from chilled cooking liquid.
• Remove zest from 2 large or 4 small clementines in strips with a vegetable peeler, then trim any white pith from zest with a sharp paring knife and cut zest into fine julienne strips. Blanch strips in a small saucepan of boiling water 5 minutes, then drain.
• Squeeze enough juice from remaining clementines to measure 2 cups and pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Add vinegar and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and boil until reduced to about 1/3 cup (glaze will bubble up and darken), about 15 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon glaze in a cup to brush on ducks, then stir julienned zest and 1 cup cooking liquid into glaze remaining in pan and reserve for sauce. Reserve remaining cooking liquid.
• Roast ducks and finish sauce:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.
• Roast ducks until skin is crisp, 25 to 35 minutes. Brush reserved glaze (from cup) on ducks, then transfer ducks to a platter and let stand while finishing sauce, at least 10 minutes.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from roasting pan and straddle pan over 2 burners. Add shallot and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened and pale golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 2 cups reserved cooking liquid and deglaze pan by boiling, scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes, then pour through fine-mesh sieve into sauce (containing julienned zest) and bring to a boil.
• Stir together liqueur and arrowroot and whisk into sauce. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes, then season sauce with salt and pepper. Serve ducks, whole or carved into serving pieces, with sauce.

CRISPY TUSCAN KALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Remove the tough lower stems of the kale. Toss the kale generously with olive oil, salt and crushed red pepper.
• Lay the dressed leaves in a single layer on a sheet tray (use more than one if you need to!) and place in the oven. Roast the kale or until the leaves are crispy, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Serve as a snack or side dish.